Supernatural: Season 12, Episode 14 – The Raid

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for previous episodes of Supernatural.

“You’re always playing the middle, Sam. For once, why don’t you pick a side?” –Dean Winchester

Supernatural is back on top, thank goodness. After last week’s overloaded and confusing episode, “The Raid” picks up right where we left off and brings Season Twelve back up to standards. Things get heavy quickly, starting with the aftermath of Mary’s reveal to her sons that she had been working with the British Men of Letters. Over the past twelve seasons, there have always been disagreements between the Winchesters, with Sam and Dean being notorious for not communicating with each other. So far this season, we’ve seen that Mary is the same way, keeping secrets from her sons and going behind their back. While infighting is a common theme in Supernatural, it doesn’t make Dean’s response to his mother any less emotional. Jensen Ackles does an amazing job as Dean, and the hurt in his eyes as he finds out his mother went behind his back is heartbreaking.

This episode sees the return of a few fan favorite objects and characters, including the Colt. The Colt initially returned in “Stuck in the Middle (With You)” after Mary stole it from Ramiel for the British Men of Letters. Sam and Dean have a long history with this gun, stretching all the way to the first seasons, and seeing it in use again was awesome. A villain from Season Six also makes an appearance, finally wrapping up a plot point that’s been open for years. The action in this episode is also really engaging and almost as intense as a season finale. Stakes are high, people’s lives are at serious risk, and we even have a few minor casualties. Sometimes, in filler episodes, the action can lull since it’s predictable, but that was not the case for this episode.

We get a lot more information on the British Men of Letters, finally seeing their base in America, and learning more of their plans and methods of operation. While I still think the British Men of Letters shouldn’t be trusted, it is really interesting to see more of these characters and their interactions with the Winchesters. This isn’t the last time we’ll see the British Men of Letters, and with Mary actively helping their cause, it should be fun to see if and how they’ll help the Winchesters with their other problems. This episode doesn’t do a whole lot it forwarding the season’s plot; we don’t get any new information on Lucifer’s kid, and Castiel isn’t even in the episode. However, this episode deals with the aftermath of “Family Feud” in a way that is entertaining and emotional.

Ryan is a Music Media Production major who wrote the first ever Byte music review and has been involved with nearly every other section at some point. He is also an event planner at Village Green Records and the primary booking coordinator for the store’s outdoor concerts.